


Angles and Values

by devilinthedetails



Category: PIERCE Tamora - Works, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Challenges, Cheating, Gen, Honor, Lessons, Mathematics, Values, angles, lying, mentoring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-22
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-15 14:15:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16064837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devilinthedetails/pseuds/devilinthedetails
Summary: Gareth speaks with a young Alexander of Tirragen accused of cheating in mathematics.





	Angles and Values

Angles and Values

“Master Yayin accuses you of copying answers for your mathematics assignment from another page and of denying it most impertinently when he confronted you about it.” Gareth lifted his eyes from the letter Alexander of Tirragen had presented him with a stiff bow to gaze across his desk at young Tirragen, who was standing at rigid attention, dark face expressionless, hands folded behind his back. 

“He insulted my honor by implying that I cheated, Your Grace.” Alexander’s chin rose in rebellion, and Gareth was reminded of an aphorism so old it creaked about Tirragens being prickly as wild boars when their pride was affronted. It came, Gareth suspected, from the hill blood in their veins. Centuries of Tortallan rule weren’t enough to stamp out hillmen pride or cool hot hillmen blood. 

“Only if it’s not true that you cheated.” Gareth arched an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting that Master Yayin lied about you copying answers?” 

“I wouldn’t claim to know whether Master Yayin lied or was simply mistaken, sir.” If young Tirragen was lying, not a trace of it showed in his expression, but then nothing did. Alexander seemed to have been born with a blank slate for a face. “All I know is that I didn’t cheat nor did I lie.” 

“It seems to me that either you or Master Yayin are lying about whether you cheated.” Gareth grabbed a nut from the bowl on his desk and cracked it, wishing Alexander were as easy to break open. “Why should I take your word over Master Yayin’s, lad?” 

“You should take my word, Your Grace, because I don’t need to in mathematics since it comes to me naturally.” There might have been a hint of a cocky smirk on young Tirragen’s face but it was wiped away when Gareth blinked.

Gareth chewed his nut slowly, giving himself time to consider this. In the past, Gary had referred admiringly to Alexander as a “mathematical wizard,” and his son had always been clever about detecting anyone gifted in a particular field. Swallowing, he remarked, “Master Yayin finds it peculiar that you didn’t record the work necessary to arrive at your all correct answers.” 

“Why waste time and parchment writing what I can calculate in my head, sir?” Alexander removed his hands from behind his back to give a querying gesture. 

“You must show your work so that when you inevitably make a miscalculation, your teacher can spot where your error occurred and correct it.” Gareth’s lips thinned as he selected another nut from his bowl. “It also has the benefit of rendering your work less suspicious when you get everything right.” 

He waited what he believed would be a sufficient length of time for his words to sink into young Tirragen’s stubborn skull—though it was difficult to tell when Alexander’s face remained obstinately blank—before he continued, crisp as crinkled parchment, “If you claim to be able to perform such calculations in your head, you should have no trouble telling me what the value of angle x is in a triangle with sides that measure three feet apiece.” 

“X is sixty degrees, Your Grace,” Alexander answered without pause. When Gareth waved a hand in an order for him to explain his logic, he added swiftly, “If all sides of a triangle measure the same, it must be an equilateral triangle. Every angle of an equilateral triangle must be sixty degrees.” 

“Well-reasoned.” Gareth didn’t give young Tirragen an opportunity to recover before demanding, “What is the value of angle x in a triangle with one angle that measures thirty degrees and another that measures sixty degrees.” 

“X is ninety degrees, sir.” Again Alexander didn’t hesitate before replying. This time he elaborated without prompting. “The sum of the three angles must be ninety degrees so the remaining angle can only be ninety degrees.” 

“Very good.” Satisfied that young Tirragen understood the principles behind calculating unknown angles, Gareth nodded curtly. “I judge that you have a solid enough grasp of this area of mathematics not to have needed to cheat.” 

“Thank you, Your Grace.” Alexander’s bow was noticeably less stiffer than the one he had given when he entered Gareth’s office bearing Master Yayin’s accusatory note. 

“Don’t thank me before I’m done speaking, boy.” Gareth lifted a warning finger, thinking that young Tirragen was unlikely to be pleased with what he declared next. “In the future, you’ll write out the work for your mathematical calculations for the reasons I described earlier, or you’ll be punished as if you hadn’t completed the assignment.” 

“Yes, sir.” Alex seemed to choke out the acknowledgement through gritted teeth. Obviously he thought that he was being punished unjustly when Gareth only meant to ensure that he learned properly. 

Since it was his duty to ensure that all the boys in his charge were challenged in mind, body, and spirit to grow into strong knights who could serve the realm in every way, Gareth finished, “You can also be assured that I’ll speak with Master Yayin about assigning you more advanced mathematics. Then you might find it more necessary to show your work.” 

He expected young Tirragen to have to struggle to suppress an eye roll at what the lad would doubtlessly perceive as a punishment of extra hard work so he was surprised when the boy’s eyes shone with excitement and pride at being recognized as an exceptional talent in anything. 

“Thank you, Your Grace.” Alexander’s bow was the deepest he had ever offered Gareth, as sincere a display of gratitude as he was ever likely to earn from this lad who concealed much more emotion than he revealed. 

Once he had dismissed young Tirragen and the boy had left with a final bow, Gareth took another nut from his bowl and rolled it between his fingertips, reflecting on Alexander of Tirragen, who might have been a tough nut to crack but seemed to have tantalizing promise hidden beneath his hard shell. It would be Gareth’s job to break it out of him for the good of the boy and the country.


End file.
